Missing Apprehension
by LIBlonde
Summary: What if Carter doesn't make things right before it's too late? Takes place in the future. *CHAPTER FOUR IS UP* Sorry it took me so long!
1. Chapter One

"Frank, did you see Abby by any chance?"

"She's in suture. I think…"

Carter shrugged. "Thanks."

He checked his watch. Time for their break. 

He scanned through the charts as he placed them back in the file. Possible finger sprain, 2nd degree burn, and a stomachache. No traumas, as of now.

He cruised to the suture room. He thought about Abby. He thought about what they were going to name the baby. She thought it would be so cute to have a little John Truman Carter IV. She would giggle about how she could call him J.T. if she wanted. He wasn't sure if it was his favorite pick. It was kind of old-fashioned, and had obviously been done already.

He read the panel on the door that said "SUTURE ROOM". He walked in.

He heard Abby laughing, and opened the curtain.

She was mingling around, organizing the drawers. With Luka.

They were across the room from each other, but they were still having a good time. He felt like something was wrong.

Abby partially turned around. "Hey!" She beamed.

"Uh…" Carter felt awkward. "Hey. Wanna go to lunch now?"

"Sure. Across the street? Let's go."

:+:+:+:+:+:

They started to walk across the street. "What's wrong?"

Carter turned his head toward her. "Nothing."

"You look like you just saw a ghost!"

Carter took a deep breath. "Abby, are you seeing Luka again?"

She burst into laughter. Carter felt a little hurt.

"It's not funny."

Abby started to laugh a little less. "I'm sorry. I'm NOT seeing Luka."

"Are you sure?"

She was still smiling. She went to hold his hand. "YES."

"Why were you having such a good time?"

"We were talking!"

"About what?"

The patient we had. It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you when we're eating."

"What's with pregnant women and food?" Carter laughed.

"I'm hungry!"

:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:


	2. Chapter Two

"Carter, do we have milk?"

"It's not in there?"

"Nope."

Carter leaned back to see in the kitchen. Abby had just closed the fridge. "Want me to get some?"

"No, I can go."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm seven months pregnant, not stupid!"

Carter looked out the window. " Almost eight months. And it's raining…"

"I'll be fine!" She laughed. "Promise." She kissed him on the cheek. "See you later."

He looked at the door and said a short, silent prayer as she closed the door.

:+:+:+:+:+:

She started to drive toward the market. She was halfway there when the car died in the middle of a downpour.

"Damnit!" She said. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse to call the tow truck company.

"Be there in ten minutes."

"Is there any way you could give me a ride home?"

"Sorry. But we'll call the taxi company to give you a ride."

"I can call myself. Thanks, though."

"No problem."

LATER…

Abby had been standing in the rain for twenty minutes, and the cab still hadn't showed up. It was starting to get dark, and she was cold.

A car slowed down. "Abby? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Hey, Luka."

"Why are you standing out here in the rain?"

"Car broke down. The taxi won't show up."

"I'll give you a ride home."

She thought about what Carter said before. "I don't know…"

"Come on. You'll get pneumonia."

She shrugged and shyly got in the car.

:+:+:+:+:+:

It was dark and cold, and Abby wasn't home. Carter was scared to death. Was she hurt? He left a note on the table and went down the stairs, partially masking his fear as he acknowledged his neighbor's greetings.

Grabbing the doorknob, he was outside and looking at her.

"Thanks!" She called, as she got out of the car. Something felt weird. He squinted into the windows to see who was driving.

Luka.

He shot his head toward Abby.

She crossed her arms as she shyly approached him.

"Hey. The ca-"

"I knew something was going on."

Abby looked confused. Then she realized what he was thinking. "Carter, he just-"

"Don't lie to me. You leave, your car is gone, and you come home with no groceries and another guy. I'm not completely stupid."

Abby stared at him. He looked hurt and angry. "Carter, listen, the car-"

"Why couldn't you just tell me the first time? At least spare the pain, you know?"

Abby froze. "Oh, God, I hurt you?" She thought. "Carter, Luka is just a friend. Nothing is going on!"

"You know what, I gotta calm down first." He raised his hands in surrender and started walking. "Where are you going?"

He shrugged.

"It's pouring! Come back!"

He kept walking.

"At least get in the jeep"

Nothing.

"John!" She started walking toward him.

He turned around and held up one hand, initialing her to stay away. "Please…" He said.

And she froze and stood there in the rain, wondering if it was over.

:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:

Woohoo! Yeah, I know I'm not great at making fanfic. But I like doing it SO much! PLEASE leave a review!


	3. Chapter Three

Abby was inside now. Her hair was still wet. She stared down at the ground, waiting for him to come home.

She thought he'd come home. But pretty soon, she realized that she had been staring into the night for two hours.

:+:+:+:+:+:

"You took a night shift, Carter?" Pratt asked.

"Yeah, something like that." Carter groaned.

"Romano threatened you?"

"No. I'm not even signed in"

"Well, most of us are in. It's not a big deal."

"Yeah…" Carter said, trying to look like he wasn't paying attention.

"Pratt!" Susan called from around the corner. "I think you're patient's seizing!"

Pratt started to run over. "See you."

"Bye." Carter said indifferently.

:+:+:+:+:+:

It had been two hours. She tried to hint at the neighbors, but nobody said they'd seen him. She even called the hospital, but Frank told her that he wasn't on the board.

She was desperate. She had to find him. She grabbed the keys to the jeep and left.

:+:+:+:+:+:

Carter sat at the desk, waiting for a trauma.

"You've got nothing better to do?" Susan giggled

Again, apathetically, he replied. "Nope."

:+:+:+:+:+:

Abby slowly drove down the wet, dark street. Visibility may as well have been zero, but squinting helped.

Suddenly, she heard the screech of tires next to her. By the time she saw the out-of-control car coming toward her, she didn't even have time to scream.

:+:+:+:+:+:

" Two MVA's coming in." Susan said. "ETA is two minutes. Wanna wait outside with me?"

"I'll stay here. It's kinda cold."

"I hear you!" Susan said as she put on her gloves and turned around. Carter followed her, but waited by the door.

A middle-aged woman with light orange hair sat on a gurney by the door. "You look down. Wanna confide in a stranger?"

Carter shrugged. "Why not? I think my wife's cheating on me."

The woman looked shocked, but only for a split-second. "So," she said, with a supportive smile on her face. "Who's the bastard?"

"A mister Kovac. Luka." Carter said sarcastically. "Now how an I supposed to know if the baby's even mine…"

"Kovac?" The woman questioned. "When did this happen?"

"About two hours ago."

The woman looked at the clock. "If the guy works here, a Dr. Kovac treated me exactly two hours and seven minutes ago. Then he told a nurse he was going home. I think her name was Hannah…no, Haley or Holly or something…well, I remember it started with an H. is that who you're married to?"

Carter froze. She really didn't do anything?

Oh, God. He had to see her.

"Carter!" Jerry called from across the desk. "Phone call."

"Please let it be Abby." He thought as Frank handed him the phone. "Abby?"

"Sorry, sir. I work for a towing company. This number was one of the numbers left to call when the car was towed after the breakdown."

"The car!" He thought. "Where is it?"

"Gave you a receipt. It's at the shop. Just letting you know something was wrong with the engine. I'll call you when I know more."

"Uh, thanks." He started dialing home as soon as he hung up on the other call. 

Three rings…four rings…answering machine.

He waited for the beep. "Abby, it's me. Please pick up if you're there."

It looked like the first MVA was making its way in. The paramedic helped push the gurney as Chen, Pratt, and an unfamiliar nurse pushed him down the hallway. "Totaled his car. He was a little conscious when we got to the scene. Definitely drunk."

Nobody picked up. He ran toward the door, but had to make a quick decision and ended up leaping to one side as the other gurney rolled in.

Susan was pushing near the end. She immediately looked at Carter with a tense expression on her face as she came in. "It's Abby."

:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:

Hooray, I may have finally built some suspense! Please, please review? I really want some pats-on-the back and constructive criticism!

[starts bribing] _I'll give you a virtual hug!_


	4. Chapter Four

**(Author's Note:** Sorry if any medical information is inaccurate! I did research!**)**

He froze as billions of thoughts went through his mind. He soon snapped out of it and started running behind the gurney. His mind was racing, and he barely understood what the paramedic was saying. "Driving in a jeep, got slammed against a building. Unconscious at the scene. We had to intubate her…"

The walk into Trauma was basically a blur after that. As they walked in, it hit him: _What about the baby?_

"Carter, get out of here!"

He stared blankly at her and hesitated to walk out. _Not this time…_he thought.

"Chuny, you get him out of here!

Chuny went into action. "Dr. Carter, you're coming with me!" He tried to stay, but she fought.

"Look, I've got to be in there…"

"We can't work on her with you in there hovering over her or trying to take over or something!"

"You don't understand, I-"

"No!" and with that, she marched into the room, yelling at Pratt to follow her. "And bring terbutaline!"

Carter stood awkwardly in the hallway. As the blinds were slightly open, he could vaguely see what was going on, but was not able to guess. He could tell when something was wrong, because it seemed like they all jumped. Pretty soon, three people rushed into the room.

He recognized where they came from. OB.

He stopped the very last person in the group and pulled him aside. "What's going on?"

"Not sure."

"Is she having the baby?"

"Sir, I honestly don't know." Carter stood in front of him before he tried to go in. "If something's wrong, I've got to be in there."

The young man stood back. "Sir, I'm not sure what's happening. I'm a student and was told to come along. Now excuse me." The man burst into the door before he could be stopped.

Carter stood back again. He looked through the small slits in the blinds. Something was going on, because everyone was rushing around.

Would he miss the birth of his child? What if Abby died? What if they both died?

He suddenly filled with anger. He clenched his fists. _Who did this?_

It was the guy that came in before Abby. They said he was drunk. Carter stormed toward the door next to him. That's where that gurney went.

Gallant and Chen were in this room. He couldn't make out a face; his neck was in a brace. Carter stared into the room in fury. Carter darted his eyes toward the heart monitor, which showed the man had just gone into v-tach. Chen attempted to defibrillate him five times. For a second he look as if he had recovered, but then he flatlined.

Chen packed up the defibrillator as Gallant turned off the heart monitor and took the neck brace off.

_Who are you?_ Carter growled in his mind.

The head fell toward the window side.

"…Chase?"

:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:

I'm thinking MAYBE chase would have recovered from his OD enough to walk and talk and, therefore, drive a little. If you don't agree with me, could you maybe just suspend reality for a teensy weensy while? 

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot…REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!


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